In many electronic products, it is necessary to exactly determine or measure currents. Such measurements may be performed for example by means of Hall sensors or by means of a measuring resistor. During the measurement with a measuring resistor, also referred to as shunt, the current intensity is measured by means of the voltage drop that arises in the case of a current flow across the known measuring resistor.
One usage example for this is a battery sensor which monitors the state of a vehicle battery and the current flow thereof. The measuring resistor is in this case arranged between the contact element in the form of a battery terminal and the ground contact element, which is connected by means of a cable to the vehicle chassis.
Here, the ground contact element is adapted, as an interface, to a particular variant of a ground connector. This however yields the problem that, owing to the variety of variants of the ground connectors, high costs arise with regard to the logistics and production of the battery sensor, in particular of the ground contact element. Furthermore, certain variants, with regard to their specific interface, exhibit reduced conductivity or can be more easily destroyed or rendered unusable. The conventional ground connectors include for example those which have a bolt with thread, and also those which comprise a metal sheet with connected ground cable.
The document US 2007/0025065 A1, which is incorporated by reference discloses a fastening device for a current sensor which operates in accordance with the Hall principle. The current sensor is fitted between the negative terminal of a battery and a grounding element. A grounding cable, which is connected at its first end to the negative terminal of the battery, has a ring-shaped cable lug on its second end. The ring-shaped cable lug is, by means of a screw-nut fastening element, clamped to said fastening element. As a result of the tightening of the fastening element, the screw, the washer, the cable lug of the grounding cable and the sensor are pressed against one another. Here, an electrically conductive connection of the grounding cable to the fastening element is produced. Furthermore, the fastening element is connected in electrically conductive fashion to the grounding element. The Hall sensor has an electrically insulating housing with an opening. The fastening element is pressed into the opening of the insulating Hall sensor housing. Owing to the press-fit of the electrically conductive fastening element with the electrically insulating sensor housing, the Hall sensor is mechanically fastened to the fastening element.